I caught the one-set AC/DC tribute show by the aptly named Dirty Deeds band, November 23 at Yugong Yishan. The lead singer howled through a dozen songs, including some classics, which he naturally derided since you’re not cool unless you know the arcane stuff. The songs I recall: Sin City, Let Me Put My Love into You, Big Balls, High Voltage, Hells Bells, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Highway to Hell, Girls Got Rhythm, and T.N.T. Have a Drink on Me was a trip down memory lane (specifically to a few years back when I dressed up and played a giant cardboard guitar to that song in front of 200 Korean female university students. Enough said).

The singer encouraged the crowd to drink, smoke and use vile language. Many complied, so it was kind of like hanging out with 14-year-olds who have a few bottles of beer, a pack of cigarettes and just discovered the F-word. People bobbed their heads during the set, but only got dancing during the last song. No worries: the band came out for two-song and one-song encores, taking the singer’s vocal chords to the edge of their raspy limits. Unfortunately, it was Dirty Deeds’ last show of 2005. Tickets: RMB30. Qingdao: RMB10.

(From Beijing Boyce V, first emailed on December 1, 2005)